Paper Wings
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Chapter Two
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"Here, I'm not sure how my mama will react, so you'll have to stay in here for now," Kagome explained sadly as she led the injured man into her family's chicken coop. They had arrived to her house only to discover that her mother had been called away to help heal someone. Kagome slowly and delicately began to set the winged man down until he was leaning against the back wall of the chicken coop. Chickens stared at him and fluttered their wings in annoyance to the intrusion. The rooster ruffled his feathers at Kagome and she simply shooed the bird away. She turned to see that the injured boy was staring at the birds in what she could only guess was envy.

"I'm going to heal you," she promised as she knelt down to stare at him in the eye. "You'll be flying in no time, don't worry." She smiled warmly at him and he simply stared at her before his lips curved upward. "Wait here."

She exited the chicken coop and made a beeline for her home. The girl arrived and went to the cupboard where her mother kept the medical supplies. She bit her lip as she grabbed the necessary herbs and bandages, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to remember the differences between all the medicinal herbs.

"Kagome?" The girl paused when she heard her mother call and quickly stuffed the supplies into the long folds of her kimono sleeves.

"Yes, Mama?" Kagome asked kindly as she turned to look at her mother, who came walking in with the baby tied to her back. "I've gotten all the crabs back to the water…"

"Very good, Kagome," her mother said warmly as she began to set the baby into its bed. "Now then, I just came for some extra supplies. The priest's wife's baby is coming quicker than I expected," she shook her head and began muttering the names of the herbs she'd need to help the mother in childbirth. She opened the cupboard Kagome had just closed and looked around with a raised eyebrow. "Odd, I thought I had more than this," she mused to herself and quickly stuffed the necessary things into her bag. She stood up and smiled at Kagome. "Watch Souta, I should be back by sunset."

"Goodbye, mama," Kagome waved as her mother quickly left the courtyard. Kagome retreated to a small bucket in the corner where she did the laundry and dipped a wash cloth in the cool water. As soon as her mother was out of sight, Kagome slung Souta onto her back with a baby sling and began to trot towards the chicken coop. "Hello? Boy?" she pushed aside the door and walked in, to find that the man was still in the same spot he'd been left in, staring sadly out the small opening in the ceiling, watching birds fly by. Kagome's heart gave a painful lurch as she knelt beside him again. His head tilted back down towards her and they locked gazes. "I've brought herbs that will help you feel better."

He gave the faintest of nods and she set Souta in an abandoned chicken nest. The golden eyes followed her every move and she began to unwrap he linen bandages she'd need to wrap his injuries.

"Hold still," she said softly as she grasped his broken arm. He hissed in pain and squeezed his eyes shut, but did not move. She smoothed herbs over the wounds on his arm after wiping it with the washcloth and began to wrap his arm in a position where it would heal properly. He stared at her as she worked and she began to feel uneasy under his gaze. She looked up at him and realized something, "Can you speak at all?" True, she had heard him speak, but he repeated something she'd said. She wondered if perhaps he could speak on his own.

He looked at her.

"Do you have a name?" she whispered as she continued to work on his other arm, slinging the linen around his elbow. She took the wet washcloth and began to stroke it over his skin. She eyed his battered, ripped and dirtied robe and lightly touched the folds of it. He tensed and she glanced at him uneasily before slipping it off his arms, but had the decency to leave his legs and hips covered for the sake of modesty. She wondered if someone with wings had humility, or if she was simply being too judgmental. She wiped the cloth over his chest, revealing nicks and scraps. She bit her lip and began wrapping his chest, making sure to tie it over his shoulders as well, to cover the wounds there. She eyed his stomach wound and felt slightly queasy with the amount of blood he'd lost. The wound had stopped bleeding for the time being but just to be sure she put on extra herbs before tying it.

She didn't speak any more after that simply focused on helping this dying man.

Nearly an hour later, she was finished and simply running the washcloth over his forehead, cooling him and soothing him as best as she could.

He murmured something and she stilled, her blue eyes locking with his golden eye (the other one hidden beneath a bandage). "What?" she whispered and a small tingle of hope rose within her.

"My name…" he whispered and she could tell that it was painful for him to speak, "is Inu yasha."

"Inu yasha," she tried the name and it rolled off her tongue. She smiled warmly at him, "I'm Kagome…"

"Kagome…" he forced the name out from his lips, testing it out like she had done for him. His golden eye observed her for a moment before closing. "Kagome…"

"Yes…that's my name…" she said warmly.

===

"Inu yasha?" Kagome whispered as she slinked into the chicken coop before the sun rose. It had only been a day since she had found him and he had remained in the chicken coop while she tended to his injuries. He was a remarkable healer…though his wings were still slightly immobile, he would beat them occasionally in a desperate attempt to cool himself. But despite that, it hurt him too much to move the large wings. He couldn't speak much, for that hurt him, too, but whenever he spoke, a sense of warmth rushed through Kagome and she felt at peace. She sat next to him and lightly touched his healing shoulder. He roused from his light sleep and turned his head towards her.

"I brought food," she explained and held out some miso soup she had snuck out. He nodded and she began to feed him, spooning the broth down his throat, making sure not to give something that would be too hard for him to chew without irritating his jaw.

"Is this good?" she asked and he nodded, "Good, I made it."

He nodded his head and swallowed the food she stuck into his mouth. Once the food was down, she set the bowl aside and pulled out the wet washcloth she always carried with her when visiting him in the chicken coop. She began to run it over his face, starting at his forehead and working her way down his neck. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feel of the cloth on his skin. His wings quivered, but besides that he did not move.

"I don't know how long it will take to heal you," she admitted as she eyed his healing wounds, "Let's just hope that no one discovers you. It may be a little unnerving to see a man with wings in this small fishing village." She looked at him and found that he had fallen back asleep. She smiled faintly. "You're such a mystery."

His breathing was soft and Kagome seized this opportunity to clean and dress his wounds. Her eyes kept glancing at his beautifully carved face; he truly was lovely, gorgeous even. Before she could stop herself, her fingers were tracing the soft slope of his cheek. He had high cheekbones and his lips were full; he looked angelic, but that was to be true since he could be nothing else. There was no other way to explain his wings of a bird and his body of a man.

She retracted her hand guiltily and continued with cleaning his wounds. She pulled out a bar of handmade soap from her kimono sleeve and began to rub it against her washcloth. Glancing at his sleeping face, she pressed the soapy linen to his stomach, where his largest wound was located.

Kagome sighed after a good hour or so of cleaning and redressing his wounds. Already they were looking better than they had this morning, but it was still obvious how much it hurt Inu yasha to move.

She sat for a long time just observing his sleeping figure. Every so often his wings would quiver and the feathers would ruffle before smoothing back out. She couldn't help but be reminded of a roosting bird, but at the same time she was transfixed by his gorgeous face. She entertained the thought that perhaps this was the first time in a long time he'd ever slept, and it brought her great pride to know that he felt safe enough to sleep under he watch.

But, alas, all good things must come to an end.

"Kagome?" Kagome's eyes widened in shock as she heard her mother's voice approaching. "Kagome, where are you?"

Kagome knew she'd get in trouble if she didn't answer, but if she did her mother would enter the chicken coop and see the sleeping Inu yasha. What was she to do? She clenched her hands and her heartbeat sped up. She wasn't sure how, but her distress awoke Inu yasha and his golden eye looked at her curiously.

"Shhh," she warned the man and he nodded his understanding. Quickly grabbing an egg basket Kagome rushed out of the chicken coop and shut the door curtly behind her. "I'm here, mama!"

Her mother, who was on the other side of the courtyard, smiled at her daughter and made her way over, much to Kagome's dismay. "Kagome, what are you doing in the chicken coop? Didn't you collect eggs this morning? I highly doubt that there are eggs now, and I'm very certain the chickens don't appreciate your constant intrusions," her mother scolded gently.

"I'm sorry, Mother, but it does get awfully bored during the day, I wanted to occupy myself somehow," she said sweetly. 'Please buy it. If you go into the chicken coop, you'll see him. I don't want you to see him. I don't know what you'll do.'

She could tell that her mother didn't fully believe her, but did not pry. "Come now, Kagome, its time to get ready for supper. Return the basket to the chicken coop and I'll meet you inside."

"Yes mother." Kagome watched her mother enter their home before slipping into the chicken house. Inu yasha stared up at her, the curiosity still shinning in his eyes. "I have to go now, but I'll be here in the morning."

His ears drooped and he looked crestfallen, much like he had when Kagome had told him his wings were broken. Kagome got down on her knees and hesitantly draped her arms over his shoulders, mindful of his injuries. Awkwardly, she gave him a tender hug.

"I'm sorry I have to leave you like this, but I don't know how my mother will react," she said gently, his ears twitching towards her voice. "I've told you they would probably be scared of you. You'll have to trust me. I'll be back tomorrow," she assured him.

He sighed in response and choked out a painful, "yes…"

"I'll be back in the morning. Sleep well, Inu yasha," she whispered gently to him.

"Sleep well…" he murmured back and she exited the chicken coop.

===

Kagome awoke the next morning when the sun began to beat down on her face. She yawned quietly and stretched her arms over her head, the folds of her sleeping kimono falling down her arms as she did so. Brushing her dark black hair away from her eyes, she turned her head towards the futon next to her. The one her mother slept in. It was empty.

With a jolt and a small gasp, she shot up. If it was morning and her mother was awake…that meant. "Oh no," she yelped and threw her coverings away and jumped away from her futon.

She flew from the hut just in time to see her mother approaching the chicken coop, "Mother, no!"

But it was too late; her mother had opened the door.

And Inu yasha was discovered.

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author's notes: Long ago (usually in Asian countries) people ate dinner before the sun set in order to be able to sleep when it became dark, they thought that if you remained awake during the night, evil spirits could capture your body. So, usually they'll have supper (which can also be considered a lunch) and then if food isn't scarce, they'll have dinner before they go to sleep.

I hope that explains why the beginning of the chapter is 'before the sun rose' and then her mom's talking about making supper. I have it set that they'd eat supper between noon and three. (That's still a while of caring for a guy with wings, but bare with me…)